Meter top and index box



Aug. 4, 1953 F. WHITWORTH METER TOP AND INDEX BOX Filed Oct. 19, 1949 Ma w MW m n t 3 Q m 1 d W ,m B

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Patented Aug. 4, 1953 METER TOP AND INDEX BOX Fairchild Whitworth, Fairfield, Conn., assignor'to Sprague Meter Company, Bridgeport, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application October 19, 1949, Serial No. 122,268

Claims.

This invention relates to fluid meters such, for example, as gas flow meters which are frequently installed in exposed locations or even underground. It relates especially to the register-en closing tops for the meter boxes which support and enclose the index mechanism in a leak-tight manner, both to prevent leakage from the meter boxand to keep external moisture out of the register mechanism.

Heretofore, meter box tops have frequently been so constructed as to require relatively difiicult threading and machining operations in their production which have constituted a substantial item in the cost of manufacture. An object of this invention is to so simplify the construction of register-enclosing tops for meter boxes as to eliminate from their manufacture difficult or time consuming machining operations and thus reduce the cost of production.

A feature of the invention is the provision of a meter box top having a form which can be easily made by simple castings and inexpensive machining operations. The arrangement is such that the register is mounted on the exterior of the main casing of the top in a manner to be enclosed and sealed by a simple cover mechanism formed of easily made parts which require no threading or diflicult machining in their manufacture and which enable repairs to the register to be made without disassembling the meter.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a front view of a top for meter boxes constructed in accordance with one embodiment of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section-a1 view of the box top shown in Fig. l, and

Figs. 3 and 4 are sectional views of details taken on the lines 33 and 4-4 respectively'of Fig. 1.

The illustrated embodiment of the invention comprises a box top having a body portion 5 in the form of a casting having a recessed enclosing wall 6 shaped to provide an external recess 1 in which may be located the driving mechanism 8 for the meter register. Such mechanism is shown as extending through a stuffing box 9 mounted in a threaded opening to in the wall 6 at the bottom of the recess 1.

The box is formed with a register-supporting surface II extending around the rim of the recess 1 and a register [2 is secured in place on such supporting surface by any suitable means such as clamping screws [3 extending through the base I 4 of the register and into threaded openings I5 formed in bosses [6 formed in the casting wall around the recess.

A register cover formed of inexpensive easily machined parts of simple form is provided to en-- close and seal the register. As illustrated, the cover comprises a two-part retaining member including a cover-supporting ring or frame member 2| having a substantially cylindrical inner wall 22 and a flat end face 23 adapted to engage the wall of the body portion around the registersupporting surface I l and to be connected thereto with a leak-tight connection. For this purpose a sealing gasket 24 can be employed between the ring and the casting. The inner face 22 of the register ring 2| may be provided with recesses 25 as shown in Fig. 4 to accommodate the fastening screws [3 securing the register I2 in place, the recesses opening outwardly through the bottom face 23 of the register ring.

The top face 26 of the cover-supporting ring H has a somewhat greater radial width than the bottom face 23 and an inner shoulder 21 of rounded contour is thus formed on the inner face of the register ring so as to provide the increased facial area at the top of the ring while avoiding the presence of sharp corners or the like on the inner face of the ring such as might be diflicult to machine properly.

A transparent cover 28 is supported on the outer face of the register ring 2| and held in place by a cover-retaining ring 29 having :a radially inner flange 3i at its upper edge in position to overlie the edge of the glass cover which may be formed with a peripheral flange 32 for clamping the cover in position on the register ring 2|. A sealing gasket 33 is provided on the end face 26 of the register ring 2| to be engaged by the edge of the glass cover and the cover-retaining ring 29 to provide a leak-tight joint, :and an additional gasket 33a is interposed between the cover 28 and the retaining flange 3| of the ring 29. The parts are clamped together and secured to the wall of the casting 5 by a suitable retaining means such as threaded bolts 34 extending through holes in the superimposed rings 2|, 29 and into threaded openings 36 in bosses 37 on the casting wall 5. The heads of the retaining bolts are located below the top of countersunk openings 37 in the glass-retaining ring 29 and a suitable sealing wafer 38 of Wax or other sealing material is preferably deposited in the countersunk opening above the bolt head to insure a leak-tight connection.

As shown in Fig. 2, the casting 5 can be formed with a suitable fiow passage 4! for the fluid being metered.

It will be apparent that the present invention provides a top for meter boxes of very simple, inexpensive construction. The casting 5 can be easily formed, while the cover-retaining parts including the register ring 2| and cover-retaining ring 29 can be made and finished by'the simz plest type ofi machining'operations; Nathreading is required on the rings and the inner surfaces thereof, being free of threaded portions or sharp corners, can be easily machined and finished.

The invention can be variauslg-modifiedi and: adapted and certain of the.:impsovements=cam be; used without others.

I claim:

1. A top for a meter box'comprisinga body portion having an integral enclosing wallaami having a register-supporting surface on said wall, aregister. cover including. separate. superimposed rings mounted on said wall around; said; surface andiormingthesides eisaidecover, .a.transpar.ent cover clamped between said. rings. and fastening members. extending throughv said ringsrandinto said. body portion. to,.sec.ur.e said ringstogether and to saidbodyz-portion. in. leakatightengagement.

2. A-. top; for a. meter. box comprising, ai-bedy portion. haying an. integral. enclosing wall having a. register supporting suriace: on. said. wall, a. register cover including, separatesuperimposem rings monntedt-on. said wall around. said. surface and forming, the. sides. of said. cover, a.- transparent cover having, the edges thereof clamped! between said. rings, threaded lugsiomsaidbody portion at spaced. interralsaround. said. surface, and. fastening membersextendingthrough said-rings and 4 threaded into said lugs to secure said rings together and to said body portion in leak-tight engagement.

3. A top for a meter box comprising a body having an enclosing wall provided with a recessed portion to receive a register-driving member positioned therein and passing through the wall, a-r register box mounted. cm the wall to? overlie the. recess and comprising. a register-surrounding ring engaging the wall, a cover-retaining ring mounted on the outer face of the register-surroundingv ring, the exterior surfaces of said rings forming the exterior of the box, a transparent cover extending across the opening in the coverretaining. ring andi'having a peripheral portion disposed between said rings, and fastening means passing throughthe rings to clamp the cover therebetween and t'o' secure the rings to the wall.

in Elie).invention as set forth in claim 3, in which the rim of said recessed portion forms a supporting surface for a. register within: said register-surrounding ring.

5;. The invention as definedirr claim .3 wherein. the. register-surrounding ring; has recesses on the. inner. surface thereof adaptedvto-receivea the register-mounting means.

FAEBCHILD WHL'I'WORABHt References Cited' in the file of'thi's patent.

UNITED STATES PATENTQ" Number Name Date- 712107'0 Johnson et'al oer. 283 1902 1,46034'71 Bassett July I923 35 1,567,345 Tilden- DEC. 29} 1925'- 1 ,631,093 Tomlinson' JLIIYZ B'LIQ Z'I 2,259,910 RylSky Get;- 2 1; 194T 2,382,728 Kupehick Aug. 14,-IM5 

